NORTHEAST
On 21 acres at the northern end of the famed Atlantic City Boardwalk, the 942-room Resorts Casino Hotel has fully 64,000 square feet of high-tech meeting space spanning 24 dedicated rooms able to host up to 3,200 people. New on-site is the 12,000-square-foot Resorts Conference Center with its own 12 meeting rooms. The showpiece of this facility is the Atlantic Ballroom, a 6,500-square-foot function room with a multi-use prefunction area. The venue comes loaded with enough bandwidth to accommodate more than 1,000 guests on multiple devices simultaneously.
Fully 14 of the resort’s meeting rooms have natural light and ocean views. Eleven breakout rooms keep productivity high with built-in 90-inch LED monitors, drop-down screens and LCDs. Two theaters offer seating for 1,350 and 345, respectively, and come equipped with state-of-the-art sound and light technology. Other on-site features include an 80,000-square-foot casino, and indoor/outdoor pool, and a health club and spa.
With 70,000 square feet of meeting space across 35 dedicated areas, the 1,060-room Boston Park Plaza can host events of all kinds and sizes. Flexible space, natural light and a carefully curated design combine to offer a variety of environments from historic grandeur to contemporary glitz. The property’s 13,215-square-foot Grand Ballroom can host up to 2,200 people for a reception and 780 for a banquet, while the combined 7,000-square-foot Avenue 34 & The Square venues have a loft-like, industrial-chic vibe. The hotel also has a 20,000-square-foot health club and the Off the Common lobby lounge and restaurant.
In downtown Washington, D.C., the 328-room Hamilton Hotel recently debuted a new stand-alone event venue, a separate 1929 landmark building known as the Almas Temple, facing Franklin Square and featuring 12,000 square feet of bi-level, multipurpose space that can accommodate up to 1,200 people. The main area combines a refined 21st-century aesthetic with original art deco touches, while other features include over 4,000 square feet of prefunction space, four flexible breakout rooms, a VIP green room and custom staging capabilities. In all, the hotel has 18,000 square feet of meeting and event space, all just six blocks from the White House.
SOUTHEAST
Rising above the Orlando horizon, the 1,501-room luxury Rosen Shingle Creek is a leading meetings location thanks to an impressive 524,000 square feet of dedicated event space, including three beautiful column-free ballrooms spanning 95,000, 60,000 and 40,000 square feet, respectively. Some 247,000 square feet of prefunction space includes an outdoor terrace and event lot, while a further 136,000 square feet of outdoor space has plenty of room for attendees to roam, dine or dance.
The resort provides a total of 99 meeting rooms along with 55,000 square feet of breakout space and 17 load-in bay areas. The on-site Millennium Technology Group and a dedicated convention-services team help coordinate and personalize all the details for events ranging from intimate gatherings of 10 to cocktail receptions for 10,000. World-class golf, food and recreational offerings add to the allure of this first-rank property.
Following a recent comprehensive $127 million revamp, the 1,338-room Caribe Royale Orlando has debuted sparkling new suites, an elevated culinary program and a dramatic expansion of meeting and event space. The resort now offers a total of over 220,0000 square feet for meetings thanks to the addition of the 50,000-square-foot Palms Ballroom, designed to host large conventions and corporate gatherings. Three additional ballrooms, 58 breakout rooms, two boardrooms and 20,000 square feet of outdoor event space round out the offerings.
On 500 picturesque acres overlooking the Potomac River Valley and just 12 miles from Dulles International Airport, the 296-room Lansdowne Resort provides guests with a variety of wellness offerings, 45 holes of scenic golf, a spa with 12 treatment rooms, and over 55,000 square feet of meeting space. Gatherings spaces include the 9,525-square-foot Lansdowne Ballroom, which can host up to 1,000 guests; the 3,293-square-foot Terrace Ballroom, with a capacity of 250; the 4,184-square-foot Clubhouse Ballroom overlooking the golf course, which can host 400; the 2,266-square-foot Amphitheater for up to 160 attendees, and a 3,500-square-foot open-air covered pavilion.
The 17,000 square feet of technologically advanced event space at Orlando’s 234-room Lake Nona Wave Hotel includes the services of the property’s robot butler, Rosie,, named after the loyal housekeeper featured in the classic animated TV show, The Jetsons. Rosie helps deliver F&B to guests and is a notable addition to meeting facilities that include the 3,000-square-foot Wave Ballroom for receptions of up to 300, and the striking palm-tree-filled outdoor Sculpture Garden with a 2,815-square-foot space for up to 280 guests.
MIDWEST
Directly connected to the largest retail and entertainment complex in the U.S., the 500-room Radisson Blu Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., offers more than 26,000 square feet of flexible event space. The 8,500-square-foot Lakes Ballroom alone can host up to 700 people for a banquet, while the 4,158-square-foot Minnetonka Ballroom accommodates up to 512 for a reception. Both ballrooms are divisible. In addition, the 2,225-square-foot SkyBridge leading to the mall can host its own receptions for up to 300.
In all, the hotel has 16 meeting venues. Helpful amenities include complimentary WiFi (up to 5 MP per person), along with videoconferencing and LCD projection capabilities. Individual room climate control, printing services, top-notch catering and guidance from a skilled in-house events team are additional selling points for planners. The mall itself can be used for creative offerings including swimming with sharks at the SeaLife Aquarium, coffee breaks in a 7-acre indoor theme park and, of course, shopping at more than 520 stores.
Surrounded by rolling hills in the Galena Territory and the beautiful 225-acre Lake Galena, the 80-room Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in Illinois has an in-house team of meeting professionals to help planners design the right gathering for their group. The resort’s 15,000 square feet of versatile event space can host groups of up to 300 and includes two elegant ballrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows facilitating lake views, spacious meeting rooms, a new private outdoor patio and a modern golf complex. Small groups can meet in private spaces reserved in several on-site conference homes outfitted with boardrooms and comfortable living and dining areas, perfect for intimate retreats.
In Southeast Wisconsin, along two miles of Delavan Lake shoreline and among more than 250 wooded acres, the 271-room Lake Lawn Resort has been operating since 1878. The property offers a full menu of recreation, relaxation and amenities, along with 32,000 square feet of meeting space across 23 indoor and outdoor event spaces. From the premier Lake Lawn Room with vaulted ceilings and a grand wall of windows with stunning lake views, to the Geneva Ballroom and Geneva Club room, groups will appreciate this serene property and its beautiful environs.
SOUTHWEST
Its site on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station makes the 250-room Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center perhaps even more meetings-centric than other such venues. Here, cutting-edge technology from A/V to ergonomic seating marks the hotel’s approximately 35,000 square feet of meeting and event space spanning 22 rooms, including an 8,300-square-foot divisible ballroom that can host up to 1,000 people while meeting the lofty standards of IACC conference-facility certification.
The property’s outdoor event space puts attendees right in the middle of a vibrant and inspiring educational milieu and includes the 7F Lodge Pavilion. Nestled among live oaks, this charming 1,500-square-foot open-air, old dance-hall–style building features air conditioning, WiFi, and a sound system in a rustic setting of wooden beams and with views of the property’s rural campus.
With 85,000 square feet of meeting space, the 297-room AT&T Hotel and Conference Center has all the room most planners could want to pull off a memorable event. Here are traditional and modern ballroom settings, 53 meeting rooms, tiered classrooms, a 300-person amphitheater, as well as breakouts raging from 250 to 1,600 square feet. Located on the University of Texas Campus in Downtown Austin, the hotel is within walking distance from multiple museums and all the exciting energy of the Austin nightlife.
Centrally located near a landmark train station and steps from Coors Field, the 233-room Hilton Garden Inn Denver Union station offers thoughtful amenities throughout, plus more than 9,500 square feet of multifunctional event space. Features include an outdoor patio and an integrated A/V system — all event space offers use of drop-down screens, 80-inch monitors, internal sound systems and more.
FAR WEST
A celebrated destination for gaming and entertainment, the Venetian Resort Las Vegas also is a sought-after meeting place thanks to facilities on par with the rest of the resort’s outside attractions. Approximately 2.25 million square feet of event and trade-show space lies just a short walk from guest suites, of which there are 7,093 spread among three glittering towers on the Las Vegas Strip. Places to gather within this mammoth property include its ballrooms, more than 40 restaurants, four intimate theaters that, while most often used for world-class entertainment, can be reserved for groups, a banquet hall, a pool and pool deck, and a clutch of nightclubs and lounges
Then there are the dedicated meeting rooms, some 350 of them in the resort’s own convention center and expo hall. These range in size from 342 to 1,300 square feet, and most are subdivisible or combinable and equipped with cutting-edge audiovisual technology. The award-winning on-site planning team can help with all the details.
A sanctuary within a bustling Southern California city, the W Los Angeles – West Beverly Hills offers 297 luxury rooms and suites and more than 10,000 square feet for gatherings of all kinds. The hotel’s newly renovated Gallery A is a 2,560-square-foot modern event space complete with an intimate outdoor patio and advanced A/V technology. Showcasing spiraling light fixtures, wood-toned backdrops and water-inspired elements throughout, the smartly designed space accommodates up to 180 people and is connected by a foyer for access to two smaller spaces.
Steps away from the awe-inspiring ruins of its namesake historic mission, the Inn at the Mission San Juan Capistrano in Southern California has 175 guest rooms and nearly 40,000 square feet of master-planned indoor and outdoor event space that can host gatherings of up to 300 guests. Outdoor options include the manicured East Lawn, a sun-drenched patio overlooking the Great Stone Church; the Olive Grove, dotted with trees and a firepit; and the Landmark Courtyard, while 18 unique indoor event rooms feature hacienda-style décor and natural light.
On Oahu in Hawaii, the 839-room ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach has 22,000 square feet of flexible function space. Its venues and recently redesigned meeting space captures the beauty of the Islands with natural elements and finishings that bring a relaxed, refreshing feel to every event. Gathering spots range from a grand ballroom that welcomes up to 1,500 guests to meeting rooms fit to host two-dozen professionals. The entire resort is now powered by 100 percent renewable electricity, allowing meetings and conferences that take place here to be Green-e certified.
The 521-room contemporary oceanfront Prince Waikiki on Oahu, steps away from the Hawaii Convention Center, features over 22,000 square feet of its own recently renovated meeting space for up to 200 guests, including a 6,960-square-foot ballroom, multiple conference rooms and numerous breakout areas. Select indoor event space features ocean views and natural light, while a spacious outdoor venue adjacent to the pool deck is an especially popular place for gatherings.
The 287-room Rancho Bernardo Inn is located just 25 minutes north of lively downtown San Diego and 90 miles south of Los Angeles. Its 80,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space features multiple pool decks, spacious foyers and more for anything from an intimate gathering of 10 to a grand conference of over 1,000 people. The inn’s 25,000-square-foot Aragon Ballroom delivers space and flexibility with unique set-up and lighting options both inside and outside on the terrace, as well as 3,200 square feet of outdoor lawn space.
INTERNATIONAL AND U.S. TERRITORIES
Set on the serene natural landscapes and aquamarine waters of the Riviera Nayarit, the new 324-room Conrad Punta de Mita has quickly become a notable meeting destination in Mexico with more than 54,000 square feet of premier, flexible meeting space, including the largest ballroom in the region, multiple indoor/outdoor venues, lush outdoor lawns, stand-alone guest rooms with private balconies, 30,000 square feet of beachfront space and more.
For grand events and conventions, the property’s 10,000-square-foot Tupika Ballroom delivers space, flexibility, state-of-the-art technology and unique set-up options for up to 1,120 guests, as well as 11,200 square feet of configurable outdoor space on the Haramara Lawn. A further 30,000 square feet of beachfront space is available for receptions, team-building and more.
With its classic Spanish Revival architecture and over 100-year history, the 391-room Condado Vanderbilt in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a fine choice for planners and features a number of distinctive places for gatherings. The 2,000-square-foot Luchetti Ballroom has Murano-made chandeliers, mahogany-paneled walls and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, along with space for up to 80 guests. Some 5,000 square feet of glorious outdoor space includes two verandas and a gazebo.
Whether indoors or out, the meetings spaces are special at the 115-room Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in Mexico. Among the dedicated 3,556 square feet for meetings are two natural-lit rooms for high-level executive meetings, while the sea serves as an idyllic background for customized setups for up to 200 guests complete with stunning views of a cliffside and changing tides. The resort’s events staff can help create events in virtually any part of the property.
At the 400-room Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort, the placid charm of golden beachfront and sapphire seas meets the natural beauty of El Yunque rainforest, with memorable meetings one result. The resort offers more than 48,000 square feet of indoor event space while providing the best backdrop for outdoor team-building and other group activities. Two 18-hole championship golf courses keep things going after the meetings end.